Block it Out!

I often think about how nowadays freedom from violence and persecution is taken for granted in the Western World.  And yet, it does not take much to lose these rights.  

When Bush Jr. came to power, I saw these rights erode over the duration of a few months following 9/11.  Patriot Act I and II and subsequent Executive Orders that bypassed Congress seriously put democratic values at risk.  The public was kept in constant fear of an impending terrorist attack so that many thought, the draconian measures were necessary.  Lies and misinformation were spread about Irak's nuclear potential to justify the war.  It was awful.  

While that was a huge onslaught on our liberties, there are many areas that are less obvious where once gained progress is slowly eroding as well.  I am thinking of labor rights in Germany.  Unlike two decades ago, workers today can be laid off from one day to the next and replaced by temps. Pay can be frozen seemingly at any time (unless you earn six figure salaries), and often benefits are minimal while working hours, demands on mobility and flexibility have increased.  At the bottom of it all I see the tendency to objectify others and to treat them with less respect and empathy than they deserve.  

What is often referred to as 'evil' is nothing but the potential to dehumanize others.  There is a field in genetics which focuses on how genes can be turned on and off by environmental triggers.  Could it be that the the gene for emotional intelligence can be blocked under certain circumstances? Is competition such a trigger?

Just wondering.